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Ejor (City)
This page is about the city of Ejor. For the Sultanate of the same name, please see Ejor (Sultanate). Located on a one of the Basaam River's few bridges, Ejor, capital of the Sultanate of Ejor, is the only major city in the northeastern provinces of the Kaspari Empire that has not been built on the wreckage of an older metropolis. Ejor is a popular debarkation point for those seeking fortune and high adventure in the wild realms of the northeast, the Sabo Jungles, or for those making the crossing into Tashakda. It also serves as a major trading center between these savage realms and the civilized world. Given its physical position as well as its politics, Ejor is a frontier city, uncivilized when compared to other Kaspari settlements. It is the clearing house for goods looted from the ruins of the northeast and the Sabo Jungles. In theory, each ruin or site of treasure is registered with the Ministry of Secrets, and the treasure removed from those sites is registered with the Ministry of Riches. In reality, however, plunder flows as freely as the Basaam River. Those who register with the ministries do so to create a thin veneer of legality (obtaining some protection) and to avoid arousing the suspicion of city patrols, who might then discover the most valuable (and truly secret) treasure vaults. Ejor is said to be built on some sort of holy or taboo site of some lost civilization. The site is unusual because it lacks the ruins found elsewhere throughout the region. All cut stone in the city was imported. The buildings of Ejor are a collection of baked brick and distinctive stone from the Hulman Mountains. Much of the stone used in the city's construction was quarried from a meteorite, and thus magnetic fields vary wildly throughout the city. Compasses and many other electrical or thaumaturgical devices often fail to work properly. Ejor is a melting pot, home to natives of the Sabo Jungles, people who have emigrated from Izmauna and the mountains beyond, and treasure-seekers from around the Kaspari Empire. They are energetic, curious, progressive, and, above all, acquisitive. Those who visit Ejor should heed the following recommendations: keep your eye on your belongings, your hands on your valuables, and a short leash on members of your household. The Caliph has regularly assigned a new Sultan to Ejor about every five years or so - or as soon as the corruption becomes obvious yet again. Part of the problem: the Caliph appoints each new Sultan upon the recommendation of the Sultan of Naiche. The past two generations of rulers from that mountain province have been more interested in appealing to courtiers - and in continuing to receive their share of the treasure haul - than in exerting the force of civilization. Locations in Ejor Ejor is a relatively young frontier city, scarcely civilized when compared with the Kaspari Empire's other major settlements. However, it is by no means devoid of interesting commercial, public, and religious attractions. The Stone Wharves and the Floating Bazaar dominate the riverside districts, while the Open Bazaar is a major destination on the city's north bank. The Ministry of Secrets is located on the south bank, while the Ministry of Riches lies just east of the Open Bazaar. The city's Ivory Palace is located beside the majestic Sacred Elephant Plaza. Ejor has never been attacked by an army in the century since it was built. The low, relatively thin outer walls are more for show than any useful purpose. The wide canals surrounding the city are a better defense from siege than the stone fortifications. The city has three gates, beautifully decorated with bas-reliefs and sculpture: the Gate of Serpents is the main gate, with roads leading to Safrodaska, Surradi, and Siul; the Gate of Hornets leads upriver toward the outlying rice plantations; while the Gate of the Peacock leads south, past the Citadel and Barge Sheds, where a large prison and the city's modest navy is located. At the entrances of the city canals, visitors will no doubt notice small shrines. A small idol of a crocodile-headed woman with bat wings, known locally as "Ushmawe", stands in the sheltered alcoves, surrounded by small meat offerings. These shrines are widely believed to help prevent crocodiles from the river from entering the city. The city's enlightened clergy find the pagan shrines insulting, but their last attempt to remove them incited a fearful riot before the idols were restored to their customary positions. In some of the back streets, visitors might discover small, hidden shrines, containing white cobra idols with a smiling woman's face. Superstitious people consider the snake queen - and snakes in general - to be a sign of good fortune. Many citizens can recount tales of miraculous recovery from fatal illness after a family member left a broiled meat kebab at one of the snake shrines. Category:Large Cities Category:Settlements Category:Settlements in the Kaspari Empire Category:Locations Category:Locations in Ejor Category:Locations in the Kaspari Empire